The HTC One is an extremely popular Android smartphone and is an impressive high-end device. Another version of the HTC One is now available, the HTC One Google Play Edition. Basically this is the same as the HTC One but offers a stock Android experience. Today we have a video for your viewing pleasure that explains the standard HTC One vs. the HTC One Google Play Edition.
These two varieties of the HTC One share the same design, but of course the Google Play Edition offers a pure vanilla Android device with no overlay of any kind. The standard HTC One runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, upgradable to 4.2.2, and this is skinned with HTC’s Sense 5 UI. The Google Play Edition HTC One runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean out of the box.
The 7-minute YouTube video compares the standard HTC One to the HTC One Google Play Edition, pointing out that they share the same specs. It points out that the original HTC One is available in black and silver (a red version is also available for some regions and carriers), but that the Google Play Edition is only in the silver option. It goes on to look at the display, with the difference between 4.2.2 stock Android on the HTC One GPE noted, as opposed to the darker UI tones of the standard HTC One.
Other specs such as the processor and graphics are detailed with the stock Android HTC One GPE showing no lack of optimization. The phones also share the same battery and it’s said that you’ll get a full day’s use from either the standard HTC One with Sense or the stock Android Jelly Bean of the HTC One GPE, and the GPE edition doesn’t seem to be adversely affected by the lack of the HTC Sense power saving features.
The main differences are pointed out as the camera and software. For example, the Google Play Edition misses out on features such as HTC Zoe, but other Google Play Store apps are available as alternatives. The original HTC One also offers some filters and the ability to change the ISO, while the GPE stock camera app is “more simplistic.” Photo images are said to be very slightly better with the original One but not in a way that’s very noticeable.
The video then looks more closely at the benefits of the HTC Sense UI on the standard HTC One and then compares it to the Google Play edition with stripped down Jelly Bean. This will be very much a personal preference, and this alone may decide any choice between the two handsets. The end of the video also has some information about pricing before reaching a conclusion, so why not check out the video below to see it for yourselves.
We’d like to hear from readers who haven’t yet purchased the HTC One but are thinking of doing so. Will you choose the standard HTC One or the stock Android HTC One Google Play Edition?